For Evachule Duba, the meaning of home has been shaped by a lifetime of loss, displacement and uncertainty. Orphaned at a young age, her journey began in Garbatulla, where she was placed in a school for children without parents. Growing up without the security of her parents and facing the hardships of poverty, she had to navigate life with very little support. Her circumstances became even more difficult when conflict broke out in Gambela, forcing her to flee and seek refuge in Isiolo, leaving behind the life she had known.
What followed were decades of uncertainty as Evachule struggled to find somewhere she could settle and call home. Life in Isiolo was marked by repeated displacement, as she moved from one temporary shelter...
For Evachule Duba, the meaning of home has been shaped by a lifetime of loss, displacement and uncertainty. Orphaned at a young age, her journey began in Garbatulla, where she was placed in a school for children without parents. Growing up without the security of her parents and facing the hardships of poverty, she had to navigate life with very little support. Her circumstances became even more difficult when conflict broke out in Gambela, forcing her to flee and seek refuge in Isiolo, leaving behind the life she had known.
What followed were decades of uncertainty as Evachule struggled to find somewhere she could settle and call home. Life in Isiolo was marked by repeated displacement, as she moved from one temporary shelter to another, rarely staying in one place for more than a few weeks. Sometimes, she would occupy a house for just two or three weeks before being asked to leave. With only a few belongings to her name, she would pack what little she had and begin the search for another place to stay.
Over the years, her search for stability took her through different parts of Isiolo, including Tulu Roba, Kambi Garba, Checheles, Burat, Olabule and Olabuko. Each relocation meant starting over, never knowing how long she would be allowed to stay or where she would go next. Having already experienced the loss of her parents and the upheaval of fleeing conflict, the absence of a permanent home became another difficult reality to endure.
Eventually, Evachule returned to Olabuko, where a relative of her husband offered them a small piece of land. For the first time in many years, they had somewhere they could settle without the immediate uncertainty of having to move again. However, having land did not mean they had the resources to build a proper house. Without the financial means to construct a decent shelter, Evachule continued to struggle to make ends meet, relying on casual labour to provide for her basic needs.
For years, she took on physically demanding jobs whenever they were available, using whatever little she earned to get by. However, her health eventually deteriorated, and severe illness left her too weak to continue working. With no regular income or reliable means of supporting herself, she found herself in an increasingly vulnerable position.
A significant turning point came when the Mama Ibado team identified Evachule and assessed her living conditions. Recognising her vulnerability and the difficult circumstances she had endured over the years, the team enrolled her in its senior feeding programme. Beyond providing regular food assistance, Mama Ibado Charity took steps to address one of the greatest challenges in her life: the lack of a permanent and decent place to live.
With the piece of land offered by her husband's relative, Mama Ibado Charity embarked on constructing a house for Evachule. The intervention meant more than simply providing shelter. After decades of moving from one temporary living arrangement to another, she would finally have a permanent place to call home, free from the uncertainty of repeated evictions and the struggle of constantly searching for somewhere to stay.
Today, her circumstances have changed significantly. Through the senior feeding programme, Evachule receives monthly food assistance, including sugar, tea leaves, salt, cooking oil and other essential household supplies. The regular food hampers help her meet some of her basic nutritional needs, particularly now that her health no longer allows her to depend on casual labour for an income. Having food available has eased the uncertainty that once defined her everyday life and given her greater peace of mind.
The support has also brought her a renewed sense of stability. With a permanent house built on the land her husband's relative offered them, she no longer has to move from one neighbourhood to another or live with the constant fear of being evicted. After years of uncertainty, she finally has a place where she can rest, keep her belongings and live with a greater sense of security.
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